Luggage



Dec. 18, 1934.

O. H. PLOTKIN LUGGAGE Filed April lO, 1931 Dec. 18, 1934. o. H. PLOTKINLUGGAGE Filed April l0, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @wwf LUGGAGE Filed [aprillO, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Vials Patented Dec. 18, 1934 UNITED STATESl-mriz'NT AOFFICE y LUGGAGE Oscar H. Plotkin, Chicago, .111., lassignorto S. Dresner & Son, Inc., Chicago, Ill., ra corporation of IllinoisApplication April 10, 1931., Serial No. 529,014

11 Claims. (Cl. ,ISO- 41) invention relates to luggage, and itsprincipal object is to provide improved means for suspending andretaining garments in traveling bags, such as'Gladstonelbags,suit-cases, and the f5 like, whereby the garments may be transportedfrom place to place without becoming wrinkled.

Another object is to provide improved means for 20 `novel features ofconstruction, arrangement land combination of parts hereinafter fullyset :forth and claimed. Y

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying thisspecication in which- `'Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly brokenaway, of a Gladstone bag, equipped with garment "suspending andretaining means embodying Ya lsimple lorm of the present invention, thebag be- "in-g shown in Ya partially 'open condition;

Fig. 2 isa plan, partly broken away, illustrating one of the steps takenin draping a rgarment over "the garment suspending means;

' Fig. -3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the garment completelydraped upon `the Ygarment "35 `suspending means;

'45 s'ition assumedwhensupported upon a'rod or'bar Fi'g.l8 lis a detailvertical cross -section illustrating'aslightlyimodified 'form of theinvention;

v4.EigfSJis an/end v'iew looking in the direction of thearrow-Q inFig.*8, Aand showing certain bows in "50 lcross section;

l0 is a `detail'view, partly in elevation and partly in cross sectionillustrating a slightly modi- Tied type of fasteningmeans employed inthe device;

"11 -is' a detail vertical cross sectionillustrating a Vfurther modifiedtype of fastening means;

Fig. 12 is a detail section taken on the 'line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is 'a view similar to Fig. 12, showing the 5 detent in movedposition; and

Fig. 14 is `a detail vertical cross section ltaken on the line V14 ofFig. 11.

Referring to lsaid drawings, and rst to Figs.

1 toj?, inclusive, which illustrate one embodiment 10 lof the invention,the reference ycharacter 1l designates a traveling bag or case, here`shown yin the form of a Gladstone bag, composed lof the two .sections12 and 13 hinged together at 14 .in the customary manner, and having theusual vhandle 15, whereby the bag may be carried about, and

'the ordinary locking `means 16, whereby the two sections may be lockedtogether. Ordinarily a door or dividing wall 17, usually hinged as at 18to one of the sections, is provided for ,separating the contents of onesection from the other, thus providing two separate compartments inwhich is placed wearing apparel and other ob'- jects which it is desiredto transport. If desired, a pocket 20 vmay be provided on one side ofthe door 17 for holding small articles.

Each section l'or case 1'2 or 13 is open on one side and closedby thedoor 17. Usually an inter- 'nal nange 19 is provided adjacent `the openside of each sectionupon which the door k17 rests when 30 the `sectionlis laid on its side, and when the bag is closed said flanges 19 retainthe door in up- Yright position between them.

vsuspend garments entirely within that section kof 'the case in which.the bow is contained. The 40 Vbow may be formed in `a variety of ways,and it is here shown'in the form of a tubular member "having fa4horizontally extending garment suspending `bar 22, from the ends ofwhich extend two arms Aor end members '23 which are prefer- 45 ablyilattened at their terminal ends and pivotal'ly `connected to brackets24, as by rivets 25.

IThe 'brackets 24 `are Ariveted or otherwise Vsecured to the door 17which may be reinforced at the pla-ces `of attachment by a `metal bar 26extend- 50 ing along or through the `material of the wall. The pivotalconnections between the bow and the door are located at a place adjacentthe hinge lconnection between the two sections of the case, wherebywhen'the case'or bag is placed upright, y55

the horizontal bar portion 22 of the bow will be `the door.

disposed adjacent the upper end of the case or bag, the purpose of whichwill be presently set forth.

Means are provided for detachably securing the free end of the bow 21 tothe door 17 and for holding the horizontal bar 22 of the bow in spacedrelation thereto. Said securing means may take various forms, and inFigs. 1 to 6 ofthe drawings, are shown as comprising snap fasteners orbuttons 27 secured. to the door and extending through adjacent the endsof the horizontal bar 22 and brackets 28 when attachedtothe snapfasteners 27 hold the horizontal bar 22 of the bow in fixed spacedrelation with the door 17, whereby agarment is suspended freely upon thehorizontal bar 22 without being crushed against the door.

Associated with the-bow .are `auxiliary means, herein shown as aAgarment hanger 29 .for retaining the garments in definitely foldeddisposition. The garment hangermay be swingingly attached'to the .door17 at a place adjacent or in co-axial alignment with the hingeconnection of the wall with the sections of the Vcase or bag, andpreferably spaced substantially equally from the end members 23, and ofless width than the spread of the end members.v Conveniently, thegarment hanger 29 may take the form of the ordinary coat hanger havingthe usual cross bar 30 for suspending trousers, or other garments, andthe garment hanger is here shown as detachably connected with the door17, whereby it may be detached therefrom and used to suspend garments ina wardrobe or other clothes closet.

A hook member 31, in the form'of a flat piece lying parallel with thegarmenthanger and having a swiveled connection therewith lnear its upperend, is formed with a headed neck 32Hat one end, whereby it maybeattached to a bracket 35 on the door 17, and its otherend is in the formof a hook 33, whereby the garment hanger maybe suspended from a bar orrod 34 whenv the garments are removed from the case or bag. It is to beobserved that the hook member31 may be y,turned from the position seenAin Fig. 6, wherein it is employed to suspend` the garment Yhanger `onthe door 17, to the position illustrated in Fig. 7,

slot 36, thereby bringing the head portion completely through the slot,in which condition the hook member is held against accidentaldisconnection.

As above stated, the garment suspending vmeans may be provided on eachside of the door 17, and Fig. 8 illustrates such an arrangement of theparts. This figure also shows` the use of aplurality of auxiliaryretaining means on a side of In this case, the brackets 24e, to whichthe bows 21 and 21a are pivoted, are of rsufficient length toaccommodate the end members ofthe two bows, and the brackets 28aL of thebows are provided with co-acting snap fasteners or other detachablefastening means 27e, whereby the two bows may be detachably connectedtogether.

As in the preferred form, the bow 21 is provided with detachableconnections, such as snap fasteners, buttons, or the like, 27, forfastening its free end to the door 17. Garment hangers 29a and 29h, onefor each bow, areprovided, as in the preferred formya'nd in``this case,the bracket 35a, to which the garmentrv hangers are Y detachablysecured, has two slots and is made of eyes of bracket members 28 whichare preferably i sufficient length to accommodate the hook memjbers ofboth garment hangers.

Y In the modified form of attaching means, between the 'bow and the door17, shown in Fig. 10, a spring clip 27c is employed on the door and aheaded stern 28c is employed on the bow 21 which Vis gripped between thetwo jaws of the spring clip 27C. As in the preferred form of theinvention, the attaching means illustrated in Fig. 10 serves todetachably connect theendsofthe bow with the doorv and, atIthev sametime, spaces the horizontal bar of the bow away from-the door so as topermit the garment, whichis draped over the bar, to hang Vfreely withoutbeing cramped betweenthe bar and door. l

Referring to Figs. 11, 12` and 13,wherein is shown a furthermodifiedform of releasably securing a plurality of bows to the door,`which comprises a plate 28c rigidly secured to the bow 21 andextendingjlaterally on opposite vsides thereof. Secured to one edge ofthe plate-28c is a spring detent 40 which` lies substantially paralleltherewith `throughout its` lengtlr, but spaced therefrom at its freeendto permitan angle plate 41 attached to the door to pass therebetween,the plate having a slot 42 Awith which the detent co-acts to hold thebow21 .relative to the door 17. The detent may bekprovidedfwith a thumbpiece 43 extending through theplate 4,28C for convenient operation ofthe detent (seefgFig. 13). l

The bow 21a is similarly provided `with a. plate 28d and detent 40-whichco-operate with an exltension of the plate 28c which has aslot445therein, sogas to detachably secure thebow 21?to the bow 21. The bow21 is heldin spaced rela.- tion to the door by the plate 28c abuttingthereagainst, likewise the plate 28d holds'the bow` 21a in spacedrelation to the-,bow 21 byV abutting yagainst the curved portion oftheplate 28.

In the use of such a bag it may be found convenient in some instancestoremovethenbows from the door 17. This may bereadily, accomplished bythe use of a detachable hingejoint,V as

lwill be noted that a spacer 48 is mounted upon the lowerrnost pinbetween the bracket 24F the bow 21, so that there Awill be nointerference be- .y tween the bows in moving them about the pins 45.

A suggested manner of'suspending andretaining a garment in the case orbag in ajneatlyn-folded condition will now `be described. The .case Visfully opened and the free end of theibow i'srief -tached from the doorand-swung back out offltlie way, after which the garment, such as facoat, ,is placed upon the garment hanger theJliSual manner, as seen inFig. 2, after Whichthe bow is .transfiere uw .tie gregreed@tiraggio thedoor by the snap fasteners 27 and 28. The sleeves and skirt portion ofthe garment are then draped over the horizontal member 22 of the bow, asseen in lig. 2, after which the two sections of the case are closed, andwhen set upright, the garment is suspended from the horizontal member ofthe bow in the section in which the garment is contained, the garmenthanger 29 co-operating with the bow serves to retain the garment in asmooth folded condition, while the entire garment is suspended by thebow.

When unpacking the case, the garment hanger with garments suspendedthereon may be placed on a bar or rod in a clothes closet or wardrobe.When it is desired to repack the case, the garment hanger with thegarments thereon may be carried to the case, the garment hanger attachedto the door 17, and the garment draped over the bow as above described.

I claim:

1. A case having two hinged together sections and a swinging doordividing said sections into two compartments, a bow comprising asubstantially U-shaped frame adapted to extend along three sides of thedoor, bracket means releasably connecting the bo-w with the door forpivotally securing said bow in spaced relation to the door, said bowbeing capable of swinging on its bracket means independent of the doorand also capable of 4swinging bodily with said door as a unit to andfrom a position suspending apparel.

2. A case having two sections hinged together and a door dividing saidsections into two compartments, a bow comprising a substantially U-shaped frame having its ends swingingly mounted on said door andarranged to suspend a garment thereon in one of said compartments, andcc-acting fastening means on the door and outer portions of the bow forreleasably securing the bow in a fixed spaced relation to the door.

3. A case having two hinged together sections and a swinging doordividing said sections into two compartments, substantially U-shapedbows swingingly mounted on each side of said door and arranged tosuspend garments thereon in both compartments, and co-acting fasteningmembers on the door and bows for releasably securing the bows in Xedspaced relation to opposite sides 0f the door.

4. A case having two hinged together sections and a swinging doordividing said sections into two compartments, substantially U-'shapedbows swingingly mounted on both sides of said door, co-acting fasteningmembers on the door and bows for releasably securing the bows in xedspaced relation to the door, and garment hangers pivotally mounted oneach side of said door and co-operating with the associated bows tosustain apparel.

5. A case having two hinged together sections each open on one side, adoor hinged to one of said sections and dividing said case into twocompartments, a substantially U-shaped bow the side arms of which areswingingly mounted on the door, an angle plate secured to the door, anda detent secured to the bow and adapted to cooperate with the angleplate to secure the bow in a xed spaced relation relative to the door.

6. A case having two hinged together sections each open on one side, adoor hinged to one of said sections and dividing said case into twocompartments, a substantially U-shaped bow the side arms of which areswingingly mounted on the door, an angle plate secured to the door,plates secured to the bow at points remote from its swinging mounting onthe door, and detents attached to said last mentioned plates, the platesand detents co-operating with the angle plate to secure the free end ofthe bow tothe door and to prevent endwise movement of the bow when inlocked position.

7. A traveling case having a section open at one side, a partitionhinged to the open side thereof, a substantially U-shaped bow swingablyconnected at its ends to one side of said partition, and coacting meanson said bow and partition for releasably securing the bow in fixedspaced relation to said partition.

8. A traveling case having a section open at one side, a partitionhinged to the open side thereof, a substantially U-shaped bow swingablyconnected at its ends to one side of said partition, a clothes hangerpivotally mounted on said partition between the sides of said bow andadapted to sustain apparel draped over the bow, and coacting means onsaid bow and partition for releasably securing the bow in fixed spacedrelation to said partition.

9. A traveling case having a section open on one side, a partitionhinged to the open side thereof, a substantially U-shaped bow swingablyconnected at its ends to said partition adjacent the inner hinged end ofthe partition and coacting spacing means for releasably securing the bowin xed spaced relation to the partition adjacent the outer end of thebow.

l0. A traveling case having a section open at one side, a partitionhinged to the open side thereof, a plurality of substantially U-shapedbows swingably connected at their ends to said partition, and coactingspacing means releasably securing the bows together and to thepartition.

1l. A traveling case having a section open at one side, a partitionhinged to the open side thereof and having brackets projecting from aside thereof, a substantially U-shaped bow swingably mounted on saidbrackets, a garment hanger swingably mounted on the partition coaXiallywith the mountings of the bow and cooperating therewith to sustainapparel which is draped over the bow, and means for releasably securingthe bow in xed spaced relation to the partition, permitting the bow,partition and hanger to swing as a unit.

OSCAR H. PLOTKIN.

